Surgical thread catchers are used in surgical interventions, in particular in endoscopic procedures, for instance to grip thread ends and pull them through narrow passageway openings.
A generic thread catcher is known in the art, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,166 B1. In this known thread catcher the catcher loop for gripping the thread consists of two wire segments connected to one another on the distal end, which between themselves spread the open catcher loop. In order to grip the thread, the thread catcher must be rotated by the operator in such a way that the thread enters into the catcher loop. Then the catching device is pushed in the proximal direction by the drive element so that the catcher loop closes and fixes the grasped thread.
The disadvantage of thread catchers known in the art is that the thread can be grasped only on one plane and therefore the operator must rotate the thread catcher until said thread catcher is aligned in the correct position with respect to the thread.
It is consequently the object of the invention to create a thread catcher for surgical sewing material that is simple to operate and ensures rapid and secure gripping of the surgical sewing material.